Composite article



wg. 1935. E, BRONSQN 'y ASS COMPOS ITE ARTICLE Original Filed Deo. 20, 1929 l Patented Aug. 13,v 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE.

coMPosrrE ARTICLE Budd Bronson, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Rubber Compan poration of Ohio y, Cleveland, Ohio, a cors` claims. (c1. 154-49)V This invention relates to 1 composite articles, such as rubber surfaced mats and the like, yand more particularly to a novel form of construction for these articles.

This applicationk is a division of my copending application Serial No. 415,384, led December 20, 1929 and patented June 28, 1932, Patent Number 1,865,230. y

Rubber surfaced mats for vehicle floors and other uses, as heretofore constructed, have been formed withan exposed layer of felt, or other resilient material, secured to the under surface of a sheet of rubber. During useof this form of mat construction the resilient material invariably mats down and loses its cushioning effect. This material also collects dust and moisture, and usually upon becoming wet emits objectionable odors.

It is, thereforaran object of this invention to provide a novel form of composite article infwhich resilient materialis'sealed and encased between layers ofrubber. A

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved form of mat construction in which resilient material is encased within an air-tight pocket formed between sheets of Ycovering material. l

A further object of this invention is to provide a vehicle floor mat embodying means for'preventing buckling when one portion of the matis inclined relative to another portion thereof. The invention may be 'further 'briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts Ahereinafter disclosed and particularly set out in the appended claims.A

In the accompanying sheet of drawing,

Figure 1 is a top planfview ofthe composite article of my invention; y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line'2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig; 4 is a partial sectional elevation illustrating operations by which my composite articles may be made;

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional elevation showing cooperatingv mold members used in making my composite article; and

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional elevationillustrating another set ofk mold members which may be used in making my composite article;

In the drawing, I have shown a composite vehicle floor mat, and have illustrated diagrammatically one manner of constructing such a mat, but it should be understood, however, Vthat my invention is not limited to a mat of the particular form and utilityof the one shown, but

may be embodied in various composite structures.'

The mat I0, which I have illustrated, comprises top and bottom sheets o-f rubber Il and I2 vulcanized in Contact with opposite surfaces of a layer of resilient material I3 interposed therebetween. Marginal portions of the top and bottom sheets extendvbeyond the edges of .the layer i3 and are vulcanized together, as clearly shown lin the drawing, to form thev marginal portion I4 of the mat. The layer I3 may be constructed of any suitable yielding material such as felt, sponge rubber, or the like. During the vulcanizing operation, if desired,`the surface of the top sheet Il may be provided with corrugations or with any ornamental pattern or coniiguration. The form of mat illustrated in the drawing is intended for use in the front compartment of a motor vehicle, and is accordingly provldedvwith openings therethrough to accommodate the usual operatinglevers and pedals. Portions of the sheets II and I2 are also vulcanized together to provide marginal'portions I5 around these openings, similar Vin form to the marginal portions I4 formed around the outer edge of the mat. Thus it will be seen that the top and bottom sheets completely encase the layer of resilient material within an airtight pocket. sealed between the covering'sheets in this manner, the resilient material cannot collect dust or absorb moisture and thus the resilient characteristic` of this material is retained throughout its useful life.

Ordinarily, when a floor covering is iitted to the front compartment of a motor vehicle, the covering must be bent along a transverse line corresponding with the'line of intersection between the surface of the inclined toe board and the surface of the usual horizontal portion of the licor. When the covering is madeup of layers of material'the bending upwardly of the portion of the mat which is to cover the toe board, usually causes wrinkles and bulges to occur in the top layer of material. Such vvriu'iklesy and` bulges prevent proper tting of the covering, detract fromv the appearance of the vehicle, and may cause uneven wearing of the surface of the covering. Therefore, to enable the mat to lie iiat and to readily vaccommodate itself to the shape of the .supportingY surface, Iv have provided the top layer of material with a transversely extendingl V-shaped groove I6', and the bottom layerof material with a similar parallel groove `I'I. When the mat is applied When Y.so

to the compartment floor these grooves permit the front portion of the mat to readily adjust itself to the inclinationV of the toe board as indi- Y v of Y resilient Vmaterial into two'pi'eces along thisY line, in which case the portions of the sheets which form the grooves would be vulcanized together.

YIt'will be seen from the mat construction as just described and as shown in the drawing, that the topand bottom sheets H and l2' are connected together around the edges of the cushioning layer i3, and that they are also connected together at various points inside the margin of the cushioning layer, namely, around the control openings shown in Fig; yl and along the grooves I6 and I1. These connections inside the margin also serve to prevent shifting of the cushioning material withinthe envelpelwhich would produce bunch ing and other undesirablev eifects.-

The floor mat which I have illustrated may be' constructed in various ways, and in Figs. 4 and 5 Yof theA drawing, I have'illustrated one method which may be employed. According to this method a layer of` suitable resilient material, such as alayer of felt I8, is lplaced in a mold member and is covered with a sheet of vuncuredrubber.r By a molding and irulcanizi'ngoperation the un# Vcured rubberjforms the top sheet I9 which is attached to the layer of felt, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4. Thereafter, the felt, which is usually Y matted down by the pressure exerted during the vulcanizing operation, is treated to restore its re-l silience. Any'suitable form of treatment may be applied to the felt, but I have found that by steaming this material the air spaces between the bers are restored. Y

After the treatment of theV resilient material, Vthe partiallsr constructed mat is placed in a suitable mold,20 on top of a'sheetof uncured rubber.

After closing the mold the Vsheivatof unvcured rubber is vulcanized in contact with the layer of resilient material to form the bottom sheet 2 lY which is molded and attached around its-edge portions 22l to the top sheet I9, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. For the operation of molding and vulcaniz# ing lthe bottom sheet, the mold is provided with a recess 2370iv sufllci'ent depthto prevent the application of heavy pressure against the sheets which would result in matting of the resilient material. Y

l According to anothermethod', crnposite articles may be constructed with an encased resilient layer formed of sponge. rubber'. In'rriaking' this composite structure, the layer of sponge rubber is interposed between the sheets of uncured rubber and in thel curing operation, the top land bottom sheets of rubber are vulcanized'i'n Contact withthe layer of Vsponge rubber, and 'are secured together around their edges. The heat ap: plied to thework during the vulcanizing operation causes gases to be given off by the sponge rubber, and since the edge portions of the sheets are in sealing engagementand prevent the 'escape of these gases, pressure is builtup in the pocket between the sheets. This pressure connned between the top and bottom sheets of the work. opposes the pressure applied to these sheets by the mold members and thus prevents matting of the fibers of thesponge rubber.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing, I another` method which may be employed inv the manufacture of lcomposite structures. Accord-- ing to this'method, top and bottom sheets of um have illustrated bottom sheet 25 'and extend into thev layer of Y resilient material. A suitable'-c`o`nnection 3| supplied suitable iiuid pressure, such as Vcompressed air, through the nozzle '29 into the air-tight pocket occupied by the layer ofrresilient material. During the vulcanizing operation, this pressure confined between the top and bottom ,sheets of rubber, opposes the pressure exerted upon these sheets by the mold members and prevents matting vof the resilient material. Furthermore, the fluid pressure betweenrthe sheets of uncured rubber holds them against the mold members with the force which is necessary for vulcanization of the rubber, and for the formation of the pattern or ornamental'design whichis to appear upon the tp'slll'fc 0f the finished-article A suitable' connection 32 connects the nozzle '30 Its/ith.A aV

vacuum pump, or exhausted chamber, so that substantially simultaneously with the V(mening of the press, vthe fluid pressure confined between th sheets can be withdrawn, or released,

After the article has been removed lfrom theA mold, the holes formed by the nozzles' extending through the bottom sheet may be cemented-shut, o1" otherwise closed in any suitable manner,- so that the rubber covering which encasesV the layer of resilient material will be air-tight. I?v

It will now be readily'scen that the"resiliencel of the composite articles constructed according to my invention, is not impaired'by matting down of the fibers during the construction of the article. It will also be seen that by encasingv Vthe layer ofresilient Ymaterial, within `ari air-tight pocket formed between'the cover sheets,r the c'oljlection of dust and moisture 'is prevented with the result that the resilient materialrer'nains 'clean and dry and retains its cushioning effectindefinitely. yIt will also be apparent that the construc-I tion which I have V.provided permits rthe A'mat to be readuynanaied withoutuismtegrstion, and

also permits it to be washed or otherwise cleaned without resulting in damage or 'deterioration of the resilient material.` Y v In Vdisclosing my invention I have illustrated' and described a door mat fora vehicle compart- (ment, but obviously mats constructed valiccoriling to my invention may ber madev of any desired shape or size. ',Likewise, it is obvious thatthe'ir useful 'application is not limited to vehicle floors, since they may be used on stairways, hospital floors, or wherevera vyielding and cushion-like covering is needed.

-In the disclosure ofkmy invention, I have reierred to felt as being Vsuitable Afor the layer of resilient material, and by. this term I mean any of the commercial Vfelts formed of matted berasuch as jute, either with yorwithout a Vst rip of burlap or other woven material incorporated therein. l l

While Ihave illustrated and descr-ibe'd'the device of myr invention in a detailed prnanner, it should be understood, however, that Iv do not' into limit myself to the precise arrangement of 'parts' and details of constructiony disclosed, but I regard my invention ,as including such changes and modifications asr do not involve a departure from the spirit of the invention and the scope vof "the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A covering for a floor having intersecting surface portions, comprising a mat adapted to extend continuously over said surface portions, said mat having a cushioning layer of felt and an upper wear layer of vulcanized rubber extending over said cushioning layer and provided with a transverse groove formed in its upper surface to lie adjacent and parallel to the line of intersection of said surface portions to facilitate bending of the covering.

2. A vehicle oor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer of felt having openings therein for vehicle controls, and a rubber Wear sheet extending over and connected to the upper surface of said layer of felt With a portion of said Wear sheet disposed around the control openings and extending inwardly of and through said openings to completely cover the edges of the felt layer around the openings.

3. A vehicle floor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer of felt having openings therein to accommodate vehicle controls, and sheets of rubber extending over both surfaces of the layer of felt and projecting beyond the outer edges of said layer and beyond the edges of said openings, the projecting portions of said rubber sheets being connected together around the outer edges of said layer of felt and around the edges of the control openings to thereby provide a substantially airtight envelope for the felt layer.

4L A vehicle floor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer, a flexible Wear sheet extending over the top of said layer, and a backing sheet extending over the bottom of said layer, said wear sheet and said backing sheet being connected together along the margin of said layer and at various points inside said margin.

5. A vehicle floor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer having openings therethrough at spaced points, a flexible wear sheet extending over the top of said layer, and a backing sheet extending over the bottom of said layer,

said wear sheet and backing sheet being connected together around the edges of said layer and also through the openings of said layer.

6. A vehicle iioor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer, a iiexible Wear sheet extending over the top of said layer and projecting beyond the edges thereof, and a backing sheet extending over the bottom of said layer and connected to projecting portions of said Wear sheet, thereby forming a protective envelope for said layer with a marginal flange extending outwardly above the bottom of the mat.

7. A vehicle oor mat comprising a cushioning and insulating layer having openings' therethrough at spaced points, a exible wear sheet extending over the top of said layer, and a backing sheet extending over the bottom of said layer, said wear sheet and backing sheet being extended beyond the edges of said layer and connected together to form an overhanging flange lying substantially in the plane of the top of said layer.

8. A vehicle floor mat vcomprising a cushioning and insulating layer, a Wear sheet of flexible vulcanized rubber extending over said layer, and a backing sheet of flexible vulcanized rubber extending over the back of said layer, said wear sheet and said backing sheet being connected together around the margin of said layer and being connected through said layer at various points inside said margin.

BUDD BRONSON. 

